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 Most
people seem to think that
the sport of amateur boxing
is a very dangerous one. We
disagree. What most people
don’t know is that there is
more than enough evidence
out there to disprove this
myth. Here are some facts
that we found that should
help you defend our sport.
Doesn’t boxing rank as the
sport with the most
injuries?
Consider the fact that,
according to the National
Safety Council’s 1996
accident report, boxing
ranked 23rd on
its list of injury sports.
Boxing has reported fewer
accidents than soccer,
wrestling, tennis,
volleyball, gymnastics,
basketball and nearly every
participatory sport that is
being offered and endorsed
in academic schools across
the America.
Isn’t amateur boxing exactly
the same as the pros?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! The
entire philosophy between
the two sports is different.
Amateur boxing is a pure
sport where the athletes
compete for the thrill of
athletic endeavor. Amateur
boxing comes under the
jurisdiction of one single
national governing body (USA
Boxing) whereas professional
boxing doesn’t have a
unified body that it is
governed by.
The
main difference between
amateur and professional
boxing lies in the lengths
that amateur boxing goes to
protect its athletes.
Amateur boxers are required
to wear a mouthpiece at all
times, force-absorbent
headgear, and a shirt to
absorb sweat and dirt.
Amateur boxing gloves are
designed to absorb, not
transmit shock. Finally,
amateur boxing referees
exercise more control by
using eight counts and
evaluating the boxers’
conditions throughout the
competitive bout. In
addition to these things,
both pre-and post-bout
physicals are required of
all amateur boxers.
Boxing is the number one
sport when it comes to head
injuries…right?
According to the November
12, 1996 issue of The
Charlotte Observer, reporter
Liz Chandler states that the
greatest risk of
catastrophic head and neck
injuries are in football,
gymnastics, wrestling and
ice hockey…
NOT
BOXING!
Safety Stats…
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The sport of amateur
boxing ranks as the
safest sport among
contact sports like
football and wrestling
and among other events
such as equestrian
events and motorcycle
racing.
-
The sport of
Olympic-style boxing is
not among the top ten
sports with the most
injuries.
-
According to the
National Safety
Council’s 1996 accident
report, boxing ranked 23
on its list of sports
injuries.
-
Boxing ranks lower in
its number of injuries
when compared to hockey,
soccer, gymnastics, and
in-line skating.
-
Olympic-style boxing
is one of the most
highly regulated of all
amateur athletics,
requiring both pre-and
post- physicals,
mandatory headgear, and
proactive officials who
will not hesitate to
stop the bout if one of
the boxers is
outclassed.
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